JTA Parent Update 2026 - 2027

Monday, September 21

• Girls Basketball HOME vs. West Hardin @ 5:30 PM

Tuesday, September 22

• Football HOME vs. TK Stone @ 5:30 PM

• BETA Parent Meeting @ 4:00 - 5:00 (should have received invitation)
  
  

Thursday, September 24

• Girls Basketball AWAY vs. Bluegrass @ 5:30 PM

Tuesday, September 29

• Football AWAY vs. North Middle School @ 5:30 PM
• Girls Basketball AWAY vs. St. James @ 5:30 PM

Thursday, October 1

• Girls Basketball AWAY vs. SPMS @ 5:30 PM
• Football HOME vs. Bluegrass @ 5:30 PM
  
  

Friday, October 2

• Progress Report #2 coming home - Please reach out to teachers about grade concerns

Monday, October 5 - Friday, October 9

• Fall Break

1. We wanted to open up a school merchandise store for staff and families. There are some JTA specific options such as House Shirts, but we also have Trojan Nation options as well that work for all Trojan schools. The store will remain open until Friday, October 2nd. Gear will be delivered to JTA around the end of October beginning of November. If you are interested in purchasing gear, please visit this website to place your order!

2. We are looking for volunteers to help us with events throughout the school year. If you are interested in volunteering, please refer to the flier to the right. You must also visit this website to complete verification steps. Thank you!

3. Pre-order your yearbook for the 2026 - 2027 school year! There is NO guarantee of extra copies if you don't pre-order. Use code YBKICONS to save up to $20 on your pre-order!

4. VEX Robotics will be holding tryouts September 22 & 24. Please see the flyer for more details.

5. Mrs. Rosa Cardona will be sending home letters of missing physicals and immunizations next week. Please check in with your students next week to see if they received a letter.

"I would like to recognize the following students for winning the following achievements in the band room: Owen Russo, Winner of the Golden STANDard award for the week of 8/31-9/4; Kaylee Hulsey, Winner of the Golden STANDard award for the week of 9/11; Noah Rossell, Winner of the Golden STANDard award for the week of 8/31-9/4; William Bell, Winner of the Golden STANDard award for the week of 9/11"

"Miranda Belrose deserves a shoutout to for her actions and work ethic every day. She is always polite to everyone even when they make it challenging."

"Maleigha Long is the definition of a hard worker. Her incredible work ethic and determination are evident in everything she does. She approaches every assignment with deep focus, never shies away from a tough problem, and consistently puts in the extra effort to truly master the material."

"My first-period class recently enjoyed some well-deserved free time in the library! Students spent the period relaxing, browsing books, chatting with friends, and enjoying a change of scenery. It was a great opportunity for everyone to take a break, explore the library, and enjoy some time together outside the classroom."

"Abby Miller is a great example of being polite, prepared, prompt, and productive! She is always on task, not afraid to ask questions to clarify, and always on time! She is a very hard working student! "

"Congratulations to these 7th grade students for winning the Insulation Design Competition! These students successfully modified a device that would keep their ice from melting. Way to go Jerry Smith and Leo Jaimes Hernandez! We also had winners in another class; shout out to Xavier Easter, Addai Gonzalez, Cooper Mains and Ryder Chapman!

"Clementine Newell is a model student at JTA and a wonderful representation of what it means to be part of Trojan Nation. As a member of the Cheer Team, she brings her positive attitude and enthusiasm to the field, the court, the classroom, and throughout the halls of JTA. She is always smiling, and her positivity has a way of brightening everyone’s day. Clementine gives great effort in everything she does and consistently demonstrates the character, kindness, and school spirit we value at JTA. We are truly lucky to have her as a part of Trojan Nation!"

"Kormino Vincent has been an engaged learner this week in class! He had a great work ethic, participates in discussions, answers questions, and leads his group in activities. I am super proud of you! Keep up the great work!"

"Zoey Taylor has consistently been a positive influence in the classroom. She has stood out as a stellar active collaborator and I know she will achieve many great things this year and beyond."

"I would like to thank Emma Burt and Taty Gambrell-Glover for helping me with so many things this week. From stapling papers to laminating papers, they have been so helpful to me. I truly appreciate everything you all do!"

"Mrs. Colston's language arts class did an amazing job in their gallery walk, which allowed them to

make inferences and predictions by using evidence from pictures, words, and texts."

Shoutout to these JTA teachers. They have been recognized as VIBRANT LEARNERS and we are so appreciative of their hard work to make learning fun and engaging for all students.

1. Mr. Barger is an ENGAGED LEARNER with their work on heat transfer and insulation as they seek to protect an ice cube from thermal radiation.
   
   
2. Ms. Coleman is a PERSONAL CHAMPION. She uses a variety of strategies with students so they can gauge their level of understanding, boost their confidence, and remain positive throughout.
   
   
3. Ms. Stevens is an ACTIVE COLLABORATOR. Students in her class work side-by-side to solve problems. They support their answers within the group and share why they think each example is a specific type of figurative language.
   
   
4. Mr. Walsh is a EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR. His time spent reflecting on the events of 9/11 helped our students understand what our country has gone through and why it is important for everyone, not just Trojans, to share compassion and empathy with their fellow Americans.

In honor of Constitution Day, Mr. Edwards and Mrs. Howell's social studies classes held an "Amendment Auction." Students were given $500 to buy amendments from the Constitution that they felt were most important in their daily lives and protection of rights. They had to justify why the amendments they bought represented the best protection of rights compared to other groups.

Students in Mrs. Howell's social studies class learned about economic interdependence in Colonial America by participating in a simulation. They were each given a job and had to create a web of interconnectedness to see how different jobs and colonial regions were reliant on each other to survive. They were also given the task exploring interdependence with the rising diesel prices in America and who is affected by economic interdependence.

• Volleyball Open Gym will begin Wednesday, October 14, from 3:00-4:30 PM and will be every Wednesday until November 18
  
  
• Tryouts will be on November 20th and 24th
  
  
• Athletes who want to go to open gyms and try out must have their physical updated in Healthy Rosters. If students have any questions, please see Ms. Barkley or Mrs. Colston

The school nurse paperwork was sent home the first week of school. If you want your child to see the school nurse for any reason, they must have it completed and returned. That documentation MUST be on file for school health personnel to see and treat students.

Important Student Health Information

• In alignment with updated requirements from the Kentucky Board of Nursing and the Kentucky Department of Education, a written provider order must be on file before any prescribed medication can be administered by the school nurse. In the past, a grace period was allowed for submitting this documentation. However, effective with the 2025–2026 school year, that grace period will no longer be permitted. When bringing prescribed medication to school for administration by the nurse, you must also bring the written provider order at the same time. Without it, the medication cannot and will not be given to your student.
  
  

• Also in alignment with updated requirements, effective for the 2025-2026 school year, over-the-counter medications (i.e. Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Neosporin, Tums, etc.) cannot be given to a student without a written consent on file. If you give permission for your student to receive over-the-counter medications administered by the school nurse, please return your Healthy Kids Clinic registration forms with your consent. We will no longer be able to accept verbal permission.

We are encouraging our teachers to use Apptegy Rooms with you, so you can get consistent, quick, and reliable communication. The best feature is it is similar to texting because we know how busy life can be. Please download the Apptegy App and sign up to receive communication from your student's teachers!

A new Kentucky law, KRS 160.145 (aka Senate Bill 181), requires school districts to adopt a traceable communication system that “shall be the exclusive means for school district employees and volunteers to communicate electronically with students.” You can read more about HCS Traceable Communication when you CLICK HERE.

Hardin County Schools has another tool to communicate with students, parents, staff and the community. Smart device users can download the HCS App from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Each school and the district will still communicate through the all-call system with phone calls, text messages and/or emails. That is why it is critically important that your phone number and email address are current in the HCS Parent Portal

The Parent Portal is a wonderful tool to keep track of grades and attendance. Log in to the Parent Portal by CLICKING HERE. A Parent Portal app is also available from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. If parents do not have login credentials for the Parent Portal, they should contact their child’s school.

Proper appearance and dress makes a good impression and keeps the educational and learning environment professional. The Hardin County School District asks that students and parents accept responsibilities concerning student dress code.

• Tank tops, tube tops, halter tops, crop tops, shirts that show the midriff, bareback tops, off-the-shoulder tops, spaghetti straps, low-cut and/or revealing tops, blouses or dresses are prohibited.

• Shorts, skirts, and dresses must meet the 5 inch rule, (no more than 5 inches from the top of the knee all of the way around using an index card placed vertically for measurement)

• Pajama pants are not allowed.

• Visible rips, tears, or holes located higher than finger-tip length are not permitted, unless an underlayer (ex: leggings, form-fitting pants, a neatly sewn patch, undershirt, etc.) is worn underneath the affected area.

KENTUCKY STATE LAW

Students may have cell phones and electronic devices (including Bluetooth headphones) in their possession, but they must be turned off or silenced during the school day. Cell phones, earbuds/headphones, & other electronic devices must remain out of sight from the time class starts at 8:00 AM until the time they exit the school building, except when authorized by a teacher or administrator. This includes use in the cafeteria at lunch and in the hallways during transition. If students use these devices, teachers will take the device and turn them into the office to collect at the end of the day. They will also face a consequence per school policy.

PARENT CONTACT DURING SCHOOL HOURS

If a student needs to contact their parent or guardian, the student should use the Student Signup form to put in a request to come to the front office to call home.

To minimize disruption to the learning environment, parents are kindly requested to contact the school's front office directly at 270-877-2135 if they need to relay an urgent message to their child during school hours. This allows school staff to deliver messages efficiently and ensures that classroom instruction remains uninterrupted.

Please refer to the links below for information on these topics: